manipulative

adjective

ma·​nip·​u·​la·​tive mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tiv 

-lə-

: of, relating to, or performed by manipulation

Osteopathy emphasizes manipulative techniques to correct abnormalities thought to cause disease and inhibit recovery.

—Carol L. Otis et al.

especially : serving or intended to control or influence others in an artful and often unfair or selfish way

a clever and manipulative child

manipulative behavior

Simpleminded as his critics found his ideas and remarks, cynical and manipulative as he may have been in actuality, he seemed to believe every word he said.

—Arthur Miller

manipulatively adverb

manipulativeness noun

Examples of manipulative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When information flows more evenly, manipulative behaviours become more difficult to sustain. —Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025

Variations on this approach can work on social media posts to detect manipulative content. —James Foulds, The Conversation, 18 June 2025

In recent interviews — including the HBO project and her podcast appearance — Papini has positioned herself less as a manipulative hoaxster and more as a woman misrepresented by a hostile media, overzealous prosecutors and edited footage. —Christina Coulter, People.com, 11 June 2025

The film’s most frightening scene is a fight between Claire and her mom, when the manipulative young woman tries every tactic imaginable to extort money from Kate, from tearing out her hair to kidnapping Cooper. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 7 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for manipulative

• accommodative
• accumulative
• adjudicative
• administrative
• agglutinative
• ameliorative
• appreciative
• assimilative
• associative
• authoritative
• collaborative
• cooperative